Prayer of Intercession

O loving God, Father of all goodness, Christ our Redeemer,

Spirit of Holiness, in your infinite and untiring

love for us you never fail

to invite us to holiness. We thank you

because in your servant, Guglielmo Giaquinta,

you have made your gifts shine forth.

He contemplated the infinite love of your Son

and he was a tireless apostle of the Universal Call to Holiness.

We pray to you, if it is your will,

to manifest in him your glory and by his intercession to grant us the grace that we ask of you:

(Pause for your intention) Amen.

With ecclesiastical approval Diocese of

Brooklyn July 19, 2004

www.prosanctity.org

Table of Contents

3 Prayer 4 Overall Glance 6 Verse One 10 Verse Two 12 Verse Three 14 Verse Four

Bishop William Giaquinta Bishop William Giaquinta was born in Noto, Italy on June 28, 1914. He was ordained a priest on March 18, 1938. In the early years of his priesthood, Bishop Giaquinta began to teach that all people are called to become saints - this is the Universal Call to Holiness. This teaching grew and developed over time, and his passionate desire to draw all people to the love of God prompted many men and women to follow him in the apostolate of interior life and holiness. He founded the Pro Sanctity Movement in 1947, and later founded the Institute of Apostolic Oblates (for lay women), the Institute of Apostolic Sodales (for diocesan priests), and the Ecclesial Organization of Social Animators (for lay men). The Pro Sanctity Movement now has centers in Italy, India, Canada, Latvia, and the United States. Bishop Giaquinta’s teaching of the Universal Call to Holiness was confirmed by the Magisterium of the Church when the Second Vatican Council documented this teaching in the fifth chapter of Lumen Gentium. Bishop Giaquinta served as a priest of the Diocese of Rome, where he was Secretary of the Vicariate of Rome from 1948 to 1968. On November 1, 1968, he was consecrated a bishop by Pope Paul VI and charged with the pastoral care of the Diocese of Tivoli, just outside Rome. Bishop Giaquinta was very involved in the work of the Italian Episcopal Conference until 1984. Due to poor health, he retired in 1987. Bishop Giaquinta authored numerous books and articles on spirituality, as well as many poems, songs and prayers. He was an untiring preacher and teacher, conducting many retreats and spiritual exercises for both the clergy and the laity. In his tremendous devotion to Our Lady of Trust, Bishop Giaquinta believed that it would be through her intercession that the world would learn of and respond to God’s call to holiness. Bishop Giaquinta died on June 15, 1994 and was proclaimed Servant of God by the Church on March 17, 2004. As his cause for canonization continues, his mortal remains were moved from the local cemetery for priests in Rome to the church of Santa Madonna dei Monti in Rome on October 31, 2016. Please continue to pray for intercession.

PRAYERS by W. Giaquinta has various poems dedicated to Mary. The following was only in Italian; now it is in English, too!

To Mary, Trust

Virgin Mary, sweetness without end,

I feel transformed, Mother, when you smile at me.

I admire the sunrise;

the sunset enchants me; but nothing in the world

is as radiant as you.

You are the model and guide for my life’s journey. You are my certainty

in the world that will come.

Mother of Trust my strength and my sweetness,

look upon me, your child, never abandon me.

And when, at the evening of life,

I dream new ways, may your light, Mother,

illumine my journey.

I want to meet you. I want to venerate you.

I want to lay my head on your heart and rest on it.

Amen

Pro Sanctity Movement Prayer

Jesus, Divine Master By Guglielmo Giaquinta

Jesus, Divine Master, who came down from heaven

to give us the abundance of grace, increase it within us

and make it become a river that overflows into eternal life.

Of Your free will, You chose the agony of Your passion and

death and in the Eucharist

You give Yourself as food for all people: help us understand the greatness

of such an example.

May the fire of Your love burn away the impurities of our human

weakness, and give us the strength to follow Your invitation

to the infinite perfection of the Father.

Of faith give us firmness; of charity, zeal;

of hope, firm certainty. Give us the desire to be heroic in every virtue,

and the trust to attain holiness with the help of Mary,

Your mother and our mother. Amen.

Overall Glance at Jesus, Divine Master Prayer

Our Founder, Bishop William Giaquinta, wrote the prayer Jesus, Divine Master, at the dawn of the Pro Sanctity Movement in 1947. The prayer reflects the Founder’s theology and spirituality based and centered on Jesus the Lord; on the Eucharist - Jesus’ gift of Himself to us down through the centuries; on the Lord’s invitation to holiness and on our response to His call to be holy as our Father in heaven is holy (Cf. Mt. 5:48); on the sacramental life of the Church; and on Mary (Cf. Mt 1:16,25; Lk 1:31; 2:6,11; Gal4:4 ). Jesus, Divine Master says to us how our Founder understood the meaning of prayer and how he prayed! Prayer, as dialogue with God, looking at Him, learning from Him, listening to Him. Jesus, Divine Master, stresses both prayer and commitment to journey towards holiness:

Prayer to grow in faith, hope, and love - the three theological virtues that are at the foundation of our Christian life, virtues which we receive at Baptism, and which we are called to cultivate. Commitment to strive to love a little bit more every day, to overcome mediocrity, to be in right relationship with God, oneself, others, the world and, thus, to live holy lives.

Holiness does not just happen! Holiness is both a gift and a conquest! How many times

“More:

the ideal of life

the goal of dreams

the apex of light

the experience of touching the eternal

through a vocation lived

in the awareness

of Mary’s poverty.” (Jn. 21:15)

I cried as he was reading it! It was April 2, 1981 at 5:00 P.M.! The Church needs saints! The Church needs men and women of deep conviction, faithful service, and joyful lives. The Church needs saints, and she has to find them among us! Bishop Giaquinta had a great love for Mary. He concluded every homily, meditation, retreat, with a reflection or a poem on Mary. How well he spoke and sang of Mary! Mary, the mother of God and our mother! Mary, the perfect disciple of Christ! Mary, the model to look at and follow! Mary, the star that points the way to Christ! Mary, the Mother of Trust who gives us trust to become saints!

NOTES:

about orthodoxy and orthopraxy I found in him a sure guide, a passionate searcher and proclaimer of the truth, a lover of Mother Church whom he served faithfully and tirelessly, an ardent apostle of the call to holiness. He really “each day aimed ever higher; each day he rose up with greater ardor and faced with new eagerness the dangers that threatened him.” (St. John Chrysostom, Homily,

The Liturgy of the Hours, Vol III, page 1322) One day I said to him, “a theologian is saying this about the Church and everybody is following his teaching...You are alone in your standing about the issue.” He answered, “It doesn’t matter if you remain alone in proclaiming the truth about the Church. The truth is not what a person thinks, even if he is a famous theologian. The truth is Christ Who established the Church and entrusted her to Peter, today’s Holy Father. We follow Peter, his teaching! When new trends of thought and behaviors start, don’t be a-critical; see where and why they started, where they stand in the present context, and where they are leading. The Church takes time in rebuking her children because she is a prudent and wise mother. She will speak at the proper time. Be patient! God gave us the tools to know the truth; we use them and continue our journey. Woe to us if we don’t live according to the truth, if we don’t proclaim it, don’t witness it and are not willing to pay the price, whatever it costs!” What a lesson for me! May he be blessed! Yes, Lord, of faith give us firmness; of charity, zeal; of hope, firm certainty! Our Founder repeatedly invited us to live what we believe, to be a virtuous person all the time, to strive to be like Christ. “Go higher! Go deeper!” One day, after sharing on certain matters, once again he asked me to wait, and he wrote on a card,

we heard our Founder saying, “We are not born holy, we become holy!” This, in fact, is the title of one of his first books (G. Giaquinta, Santi Ci Si Nasce o Ci Si Diventa? Edizioni Pro Sanctitate, 1955). How often we heard him inviting us to be receptive to God’s call to holiness and responsive to the demands of God’s love in our daily choices! How many times! Jesus, Divine Master ends with a Marian touch. Bishop Giaquinta had a special love for Mary, Mother of God and our Mother. He understood and cherished Mary’s role in the Church, in the world, in the Pro Sanctity Movement, and in his personal life. He had a Marian heart! He addressed Mary with confidence,

“O Immaculate Heart of Mary, true model of every holiness, give trust to become saints!”

Jesus, Divine Master is composed of four verses. Let us examine each one of them. Let us enter into the prayer with open hearts and let us ask the Spirit to fill us with understanding and wisdom. May we grow in holiness! “All Saints, All Brothers and Sisters” was a motto very dear to our Founder. May we, each one of us, contribute - through the witness of our daily life - to raising the spiritual level of our society.

Verse One

Jesus, Divine Master, who came down from heaven to give us the abundance of grace,

increase it within us and make it become a river that overflows into eternal life.

Jesus! Who is Jesus? How often we listened to the Founder speaking of Jesus! Bishop Giaquinta knew Jesus! He lived in the mystery of Jesus’ presence. He loved the various forms of Jesus’ presence—in the Word, the Sacraments, the Eucharist, the Church, the Magisterium, in the faithful, in the ordained priesthood, in the gathering of two or three, in historical events. He taught us to sit at the feet of the Master, to contemplate His face, and to listen to His teaching. I remember one day, after a sharing, he said to me, “Wait a moment..” He took a pen and wrote in few minutes: Jesus, may Your thoughts be my light and Your words my guide. May Your eyes be upon me, and Your ears hear my voice. May Your arms outstretched on the Cross open me to universal love.

It made me think and think; today I am still thinking about it! Also I remember as if it were yesterday the Founder’s answers to all my theological questions! And I have had many questions as a youth studying Theology in Rome just before Vatican II; as a 28-year-old lady working as a principal and teacher in a school of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and promoting the Pro Sanctity Movement from 1962 to 1974; as an adult working in Rome from 1974 to 1984 and traveling throughout Italy, Belgium and India; and as a mature lady ministering back in the States from 1984 on. How much I heard in those years! How much I saw! The coat of arms the Founder chose when he became bishop in 1968, a boat in a stormy sea, reflects so clearly the journey of Mother Church! I spent hours and hours asking, sharing with the Founder; telephoning and writing when I was away. I found him always ready to listen and to answer, enlightening, strengthening, encouraging, pointing out the right direction. What a great impact he had on me! Not only for the clarity of his answers, but above all, for what I was seeing and almost touching: his deep conviction, his living by faith, hope, love; his fidelity to prayer; his disciplined life; the time he spent studying and reading; his dynamic apostolic involvement at the same time that he was leading the Vicariate of Rome, and later on when Bishop of Tivoli. How often I saw him in deep prayer, in reflection! When necessary, he would call me back and continue to enlighten me on issues that he thought I needed to hear more about. What an example! During those years of great difficulty

Remember,

By faith we believe in God. ‘We walk by faith,

not by sight,’ (2 Cor 5:7) by faith that is ‘the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen’ (Heb. 11:1) Embody the obedience of faith like Mary, blessed because she believed! (Cf. Lk. 1:45)

By hope we desire God. ‘Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He Who promised is faithful.’ (Heb. 10:23)

‘Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation.’ (Rom. 12:12) ’Those whose hope is strong see and cherish all signs of new life and are ready every moment to help the birth of that which is

ready to be born.” (Erich Fromm)

By charity we love God above all things with our whole being. ‘Charity is patient and kind, charity is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Charity does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Charity bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things.’ (1 Cor. 13:4-7) ‘Charity binds everything together in perfect harmony.’” (Col. 3:14)

I remember one day I was sharing with Bishop Giaquinta on the field of charity. On April 20, 1982, he gave me a beautiful card. On its back in his handwriting there was written,

“The wise bee

sucks nectar from the flowers

but if she is holy

she changes even worm-wood

into honey.”

Jesus, may Your crucified feet move me to give myself tirelessly to my brothers and sisters.

May Your pierced heart be a fount of grace for my journey, and my place of rest when I am weary. Amen.

I was deeply touched as he read it to me. Who is Jesus? Jesus is:

The Son of God

(Cf. Mt 3, 17; 14:33; 17:5; Mk 1:11; 5:7; 9:6; 15:39; Lk 1:31; 3::22; 9:20; Jn 1:34, 49; 6:70; 9:35; 11:27; 19:7; Rom 1:4; 8:3; Heb 1:2; 5:8; 6:6;7:3; 10:29; 2 Pt 1:17; 1 Jn 3:8; 4:9; 5:20)

“The reflection of the Father’s glory, the exact representation of the Father’s being” (Cf. Heb 1:3)

God made man

(Cf. Lk 2:1-20; Jn 1:11, 14; 3:16; 17:3; 2 Cor 5;19; Gal 4:4; Eph 3:8,9; Phil 2:6,7; Heb 1:6; 2:16; 10:5,7)

The Son of Mary

(Cf. Mt 1:16, 25; Lk 1:31;2:6,11; Gal 4:4)

The Lamb of God

(Cf. Jn 1:29; Acts 8:32; 1 Cor 5:7; Rv 5:6;, 12; 7:9,17; 13:8; 14:1; 17:14)

The King of kings and the Lord of lords

(Cf. Col 2:10; 1Tm 6:15; Rv. 1:5; 17:14; 19:16)

Our Master and Teacher

(Cf. Mt 4:17; 5:1ff; 6:1ff; Mk 1;14; Lk 4:15; 6:20ff)

The Healer of all ills

(Cf. Mt 4:23; 8:1ff; 9:2, 20, 28; Mk 8:23; Lk 17:12)

Our Redeemer

(Cf. Jn1:12,13,13,16; 8:12; 10:9; 11:50; 14:6; 2 Cor 5:9; Eph 1:7; 1 Tm 4:10)

“The way, and the truth, and the life” (Cf. Jn. 14:6)

“The light of the world” (Jn. 8:12)

The Alpha and the Omega; the beginning and the end (Cf. Rev 21:6; 22:13 )

The center of our life, the reason of our existence.

“The man who wishes to understand himself thoroughly must with his unrest, uncertainty, and even his weakness and sinfulness, with his life and death, draw near to Christ. He

must, so to speak, enter Him with all his own self; he must ‘appropriate’ and assimilate the

whole of the reality of the Incarnation and Redemption in order to find himself. If this

profound process takes place within him, he then bears fruit not only of adoration of God

but also of deeper wonder at himself.”

(John Paul II, The Splendor of the Truth, August 6, 1993, #8)

Why did Jesus come down from heaven? The voice of the Founder resonates in my heart and I almost see him addressing us during days of recollection and retreats. His teaching was Scripture-based, clear, logical, spiritual, anointed. Bishop Giaquinta was familiar with the Bible; he knew many passages of the Old

Verse Four

Of faith give us firmness; of charity, zeal; of hope, firm certainty. Give us the desire to be heroic in every virtue, and the trust to attain holiness with

the help of Mary, Your mother and our mother.

Amen.

Our Founder taught us to be clear and specific in our requests to the Lord and to trust His answer, the answer of a Father Who tenderly loves us and hears our prayers. Jesus said to us, “If you are ready to believe that you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer, it shall be done for you.” “Ask and it shall be given to you, so that your joy may be full.” (Jn. 16:24)

I remember him saying to us, “Let us ask God to increase faith (Cf. Mk 9:24; Lk 17:5; 22:32 , hope and love in us and in all His children. Faith, hope and love are God’s gifts to us and God, in turn, expects a response from us, a generous response of acceptance and of fruitfulness. Do not cling to the first steps of faith, hope and love, but always climb higher and higher. Duc in altum!’ (Lk. 5:4) (Put out into the deep!)” That is:

cultivate faith, hope and love by meditating on and contemplating the example of these virtues/gifts in Scripture and in the lives of the saints;

give witness to them in your daily living;

radiate them through your joy, and above all,

pray for the strength to face today’s trials and challenges and to remain faithful to God’s plan of love.

lasting city, but we seek the city which is to come.’ (Heb. 13:14) We are getting ready to meet the Lord Who is coming towards us, then the celebration will start! Paul, whose heart was like the heart of Jesus (‘Cor Pauli, Cor Christi! we heard our Founder say often!), said it so well, ‘Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as dawned on man what God has prepared for those who love Him!” (I Cor. 2:9)

NOTES:

Testament and the whole New Testament by heart. I was enchanted listening to him cite long passages - some of them in Greek, most in Latin - as he was unfolding God’s plan of love to us. He did not just speak words! He communicated the WORD to us, Jesus the Lord Whom he contemplated in the silence of his prayer. How often I heard him say, “Contemplata aliis tradere” (St. Thomas Aquinas, II-II, 188,6 )-to give to others the fruit of one’s own contemplation, to share with others the experience of one’s own intimate communion with God! Every word I heard from his lips set my heart on fire and became part of me... Why did Jesus come from Heaven? Listening to the Founder speaking of Jesus Who came down from Heaven was an amazing experience. I would picture Jesus... right there, and see Him:

Coming that we might have life and have it to the full (Cf. Jn. 10:10)

Loving us to the maximum (Cf. Jn. 13:1) and giving us an example that we might do as he did (Cf. Jn. 13:15)

Sharing His very life with us

Offering living water to the Samaritan woman (Cf. Jn 4:4-30 )

With His side open and water and blood flowing out from it (Cf. Jn 19:34)

Fashioning the Church - His Body! - whose cleansing water gives us rebirth and renewal through the Holy Spirit (St. John Chrysostom, Catecheses. Liturgy of the Hours, II, page 473-475 )

Entrusting to His beloved spouse, the Church, the Eucharist, “a memorial of His death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in

which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge for future glory is given to us” (SC # 47, Vatican Council, 1963).

Listening to Bishop Giaquinta sharing on the sacramental life of the Church was like experiencing a river flowing, cleansing, renewing, refreshing, making us ready to fight any battle of life and coming out victorious because Christ is the victorious one! (Cf. Rom 8:37) Christ, the faithful One! Christ, Who asks from us only what He has already given us! Bishop Giaquinta put all His trust in God’s fidelity! “Trust gives us strength to be faithful and shuns pessimism as an offense against Love.” He taught us to pray, to ask the Lord to help us grow in love, to start afresh from Him, to be a presence of hope and love in the world and to draw people to the Lord through the witness of our life, a life of joy, through our service, a service of charity, and through our ministry, a ministry of interior life and holiness.

NOTES:

and listen to Him. Look at Him and start over again! He understands, He forgives, He gives strength to conform ourselves to Him and asks to take small steps toward Him. One step at a time, step by step, keeping your eyes fixed on Him, we will go far. We need to be persistent, enduring. Remember the saying, ‘If you insist and resist, you will reach the goal and conquer yourselves.” The passage, “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind,” (Rom. 12:1-2) was often on his lips. Bishop Giaquinta instilled in us the desire to grow in the knowledge of God, of ourselves, and thus to conform ourselves to the Lord, and to be holy.

To know God? Indeed to thirst for God “as the hind longs for the running water,” (Ps. 42:2) “like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.” (Ps. 63:2)

“To anyone who thirsts I will give to drink without cost from the spring of life-giving water.” (Rev. 21:6)

To know oneself and to keep on knowing oneself! To know one’s talents and limitations, abilities both positive and negative, and to peacefully welcome both. To develop our human formation because “grace builds on nature.”

To conform oneself to Christ by knowing Christ through the Gospel, through prayer, and by asking the Spirit “to paint the face of Jesus, ” in our soul.

“Remember”, he used to say, “‘Keep your eyes fixed on the Lord’, (Heb. 12:2) and journey with Jesus, your strength, (Cf. Phil 4:13) your companion, towards the Father. ‘Remain faithful until death’ (Rev. 2:10) and the Lord ‘will give you the crown of life’ (Rev. 2:10) ‘Here we have no

Verse Three

May the fire of Your love burn away the impurities of our human weakness, and give us

the strength to follow Your invitation to the infinite perfection of the Father.

Bishop Giaquinta reiterated with conviction and passion that Jesus:

is the lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world (Cf. Jn. 1:29)

came to light fire on the earth- how He wished the blaze were ignited! (Cf. Lk. 12:49)

has a heart that is a glowing furnace of charity and mercy (Cf. Litany of the Sacred Heart)

Often, very often, Bishop Giaquinta encouraged us to plunge ourselves into the ocean of love that is Jesus Our Lord! When tired and worn out, we were to go to His feet and to listen to His invitation, “Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart. Your souls will find rest, for my yoke is easy and my burden light.” (Cf. Mt. 11:28) Our Founder reminded us to ask the Lord for the strength to start anew every day, every single time that we fall or lessen our effort. He helped us accept our humanness, to be at peace with ourselves and to move on, pilgrims of the Absolute towards our heavenly home. “The Lord knows how we are made,” he used to say, “He knows our human weakness, how prone we are toward human gratification, pleasures, mediocrity, laziness ... Talk things over with Him

Verse Two

Of Your free will, You chose the agony of Your passion and death and in the Eucharist You give

Yourself as food for all people: help us understand the greatness of such an example.

Jesus lived a life of love, taught us how to love, and freely chose to live a life of poverty, suffering and death. Jesus did make choices! He chose to always please His Father, -“I always do what pleases my Father“ (Jn. 8:29) - and to bring to completion the mission the Father entrusted to Him - “I have accomplished the work that You have given me to do” (Jn. 17:4) and, at the end of His earthly pilgrimage, utters, “All is accomplished” (Jn. 19:30). Bishop Giaquinta spent time and energy in helping us understand our human dignity. “We are created in the image and likeness of God! We are sacred! Let us appreciate the gift of freedom, the power we have to make choices!” he used to say. “Let us learn from Jesus, let us set our heart to imitate Him and let us trust in His help in living out our mission in life. We must be willing to follow His example and be a seed of hope and love for the world” he stressed. “Daily living is often demanding; it challenges us! It requires from us an ongoing dying to self. Think of our life of relationships in the family, at work, in the market place, in the ministry; think of all the difficulties we meet...Yes, it is hard, but non impossible to live by faith, to be faithful and to make a difference,” Bishop Giaquinta used to say. “And when darkness surrounds us, we know well that it is only momentary for we live wrapped in

the great light of God Who envelops us and leads us on.” He looked at the various events and happenings as opportunities for our growth. “Be responsive and creative; embrace the mystery... and wait for the wonders of the Lord in your life, and in the world! Who knows what the Lord is preparing for us,” He used to whisper with a trustful attitude! What an example! Jesus - the way that leads us to the Father, the truth that sets us free, the life that we all want to have in abundance (Cf. Jn. 10:10) - is with us ! (Cf.

Mt. 28:20) Jesus - Who surprised the people of His day and continues to surprise people in every age through the gift of Himself in the Eucharist - is our companion as we journey towards heaven! To hear our Founder speaking of the Eucharist,

prefigured in the Old Testament through covenants

instituted in the New Testament celebrated today on our altars as it was

yesterday and as it will be tomorrow

was like being enwrapped by the mystery of Jesus’ love for me, me personally! He bears that same personal love for you! He used to repeat,

“Jesus, Bread of life, loving Son of Mary,

Be with me through all my days, that I may love you.

Let it be so.”

How many times he invited us to read-meditate-assimilate-contemplate John 6 and John 13-17 to come in touch with the Heart of Jesus and thus appreciate the gift of the Eucharist. Listening to

him, it was like experiencing Jesus’ thirst and hunger for the sanctification of our soul and for our response of love to Him! We would want only to love Jesus in return and do all you could to become like Jesus! Lord, make us holy! Lord, make us understand the greatness of Your example. May we “persevere in running the race... , keep our eyes fixed on Jesus..., and share His holiness” (Cf. Heb.

12:2) Lord, transform us into good bread to satisfy the many hungers of the world! NOTES: